YOUTH CRIME, PUBLIC-POLICY, AND PRACTICE IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM - RECENT TRENDS AND NEEDED REFORMS

Historically, juvenile justice policy has oscillated between rehabilit ative and punitive approaches to managing young offenders. Policy and practice in the 1970s and 1980s emphasized individual treatment for yo ung offenders in nonsecure, community-based programs. An increase in v iolent youth crime during the past decade has renewed interest in puni shing delinquent youths. Cyclic fluctuations in juvenile justice polic y and their relationship to policy, practice, and youth crime are exam ined. Our analysis suggests that overall crime rates have remained rel atively stable over the past three decades and are independent of prev ailing juvenile justice policies. The findings support the need for ta rgeted prevention efforts addressing the root causes of juvenile crime . Needed policy reforms, public education efforts, and practice approa ches are outlined.